75 lines
5.4 KiB
XML
75 lines
5.4 KiB
XML
<div2 id="iJo.i" n="i" next="iJo.ii" prev="iJo" progress="89.38%" title="Introduction">
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<div class="Center" id="iJo.i-p0.1"><h2 id="iJo.i-p0.2">First John</h2>
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<p id="iJo.i-p1">Completed by <span class="smallcaps" id="iJo.i-p1.1">John Reynolds, of
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Shrewsbury</span>.</p>
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</div>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="iJo.i-Page_1059" n="1059"/>
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<div class="Center" id="iJo.i-p1.3">
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<p id="iJo.i-p2"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="iJo.i-p2.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="iJo.i-p2.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="iJo.i-p2.3">OF THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF</h5>
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<h2 id="iJo.i-p2.4">J O H N.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="iJo.i-p3"><span class="smallcaps" id="iJo.i-p3.1">Though</span> the
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continued tradition of the church attests that this epistle came
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from John the apostle, yet we may observe some other evidence that
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will confirm (or with some perhaps even outweigh) the certainty of
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that tradition. It should seem that the penman was one of the
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apostolical college by the sensible palpable assurance he had of
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the truth of the Mediator's person in his human nature: <i>That
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which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we
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have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
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life,</i> <scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:1John.1.1" parsed="|1John|1|1|0|0" passage="1Jo 1:1"><i>v.</i> 1</scripRef>. Here
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he takes notice of the evidence the Lord gave to Thomas of his
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resurrection, by calling him to feel the prints of the nails and of
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the spear, which is recorded by John. And he must have been one of
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the disciples present when the Lord came on the same day in which
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he arose from the dead, and showed them his hands and his side,
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<scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:John.20.20" parsed="|John|20|20|0|0" passage="Joh 20:20">John xx. 20</scripRef>. But, that we
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may be assured which apostle this was, there is scarcely a critic
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or competent judge of diction, or style of argument and spirit, but
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will adjudge this epistle to the writer of that gospel that bears
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the name of the apostle John. They wonderfully agree in the titles
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and characters of the Redeemer: <i>The Word, the Life, the Light;
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his name was the Word of God.</i> Compare <scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:1John.1.1 Bible:1John.5.7 Bible:John.1.1 Bible:Rev.19.13" parsed="|1John|1|1|0|0;|1John|5|7|0|0;|John|1|1|0|0;|Rev|19|13|0|0" passage="1Jo 1:1,5:7;Joh 1:1;Re 19:13"><i>ch.</i> i. 1 and v. 7 with John
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i. 1 and Rev. xix. 13</scripRef>. They agree in the commendation of
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God's love to us (<scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.5" osisRef="Bible:1John.3.1 Bible:1John.4.9 Bible:John.3.16" parsed="|1John|3|1|0|0;|1John|4|9|0|0;|John|3|16|0|0" passage="1Jo 3:1,4:9;Joh 3:16"><i>ch.</i> iii. 1 and <i>ch.</i> iv. 9; John
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iii. 16</scripRef>), and in speaking of our regeneration, or being
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born of God, <scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.6" osisRef="Bible:1John.3.9 Bible:1John.4.7 Bible:1John.5.1 Bible:John.3.5-John.3.6" parsed="|1John|3|9|0|0;|1John|4|7|0|0;|1John|5|1|0|0;|John|3|5|3|6" passage="1Jo 3:9,4:7,5:1;Joh 3:5,6"><i>ch.</i> iii. 9; iv. 7; and v. 1;
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John iii. 5, 6</scripRef>. Lastly (to add no more instances, which
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may be easily seen in comparing this epistle with that gospel),
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they agree in the allusion to, or application of, that passage in
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that gospel which relates (and which alone relates) the issuing of
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water and blood out of the Redeemer's opened side: <i>This is he
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that came by water and blood,</i> <scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.7" osisRef="Bible:1John.5.6" parsed="|1John|5|6|0|0" passage="1Jo 5:6"><i>ch.</i> v. 6</scripRef>. Thus the epistle plainly
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appears to flow from the same pen as that gospel did. Now I know
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not that the text, or the intrinsic history of any of the gospels,
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gives us such assurance of its writer or penman as that ascribed to
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John plainly does. There (viz. <scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.8" osisRef="Bible:John.21.24" parsed="|John|21|24|0|0" passage="Joh 21:24"><i>ch.</i> xxi. 24</scripRef>) the sacred historian
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thus notifies himself: <i>This is the disciple that testifieth of
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these things and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony
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is true.</i> Now who is this disciple, but he concerning whom Peter
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asked, <i>What shall this man do?</i> And concerning whom the Lord
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answered, <i>If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to
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thee?</i> (<scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.9" osisRef="Bible:John.5.22" parsed="|John|5|22|0|0" passage="Joh 5:22"><i>v.</i> 22</scripRef>).
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And who (<scripRef id="iJo.i-p3.10" osisRef="Bible:John.5.20" parsed="|John|5|20|0|0" passage="Joh 5:20"><i>v.</i> 20</scripRef>) is
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described by these three characters:—1. <i>That he is the
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disciple whom Jesus loved,</i> the Lord's peculiar friend. 2.
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<i>That he also leaned on his breast at supper.</i> 3. That he said
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unto him, <i>Lord, who is he that betrayeth thee?</i> As sure then
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as it is that that disciple was John, so sure may the church be
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that that gospel and this epistle came from the beloved John.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iJo.i-p4">The epistle is styled <i>general,</i> as
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being not inscribed to any particular church; it is, as a circular
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letter (or visitation charge), sent to divers churches (some say of
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Parthia), in order to confirm them in their stedfast adherence to
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the Lord Christ, and the sacred doctrines concerning his person and
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office, against seducers; and to instigate them to adorn that
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doctrine by love to God and man, and particularly to each other, as
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being descended from God, united by the same head, and travelling
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towards the same eternal life.</p>
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</div2> |